The Hat Can Stay
by FrostyFingers
Summary: My Christmas gift for Catherine Medici. A little something that I thought I would never write, ever, but somehow ended up doing anyway. Merry Christmas
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** This is for you and I hope you'll like it! Merry Christmas! Special thanks to my dear friend, redisthenewblackington for being an amazing beta!

 **Disclaimer:** none of this is mine.

 **Chapter 1**

 _What can you get someone who already has everything?_ That was the question that she had been asking herself for the past month. She was bad at gifting, always had been, but with him it was even worse. Not only did he have everything he wanted, or could easily buy it himself, but he was special to her. Oh, so special. She was afraid that whatever she would find would not be enough, wouldn't be good enough. She was anxious, stressed to the max, and of course he knew it, could feel it radiating off of her body.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" He asked, sitting down on his side of the bed and scooting against the headboard.

"Nothing," she quickly answered, too quickly.

"Mhm… you see, I don't believe that to be the truth."

They had been dating for the past six months. It had all started while they were on the run together. The close proximity, the way they had to trust each other, rely on each other; she had come to know the real Raymond Reddington, not the Concierge of Crime, the ruthless criminal, but the man behind that façade. A gentle, loving man, with a heart of gold. He made it so easy to love him when they were like this. He was considerate, funny and absolutely adorable. Sometimes he had read to her, both cuddled up together, enjoying each other's company. She had fallen asleep on him on more occasions than she cared to admit, but he had never said anything.

After Ressler had caught her, Red worked even harder on exonerating her, while also trying to get her and Dembe out of the fangs of the FBI. She had gotten shot during the breakout, and Red had paled considerably when his men had brought her in. He had been a true mother hen, almost panicking as he tried to stop the bleeding. It hadn't been a bad wound, but the blood had soaked her clothes pretty well. She remembered how he kept asking her to stay awake, to stay with him and she had simply hugged him to her. After she had recovered, they successfully cleared her name once and for all and even Red had his immunity deal still in place. He had worn a huge smile on his face when he told her that she would be able to work with the FBI again, but her first question was about his status. After he had confirmed that he was indeed a free man himself now, he found himself in a choking embrace. She had pulled her head back after a while, not letting go of him, thanking him while looking into his eyes.

She had leaned in then, placing her lips against his in a gentle caress, feeling his arms tighten around her waist. When they parted, his eyelids had fluttered open, making him look slightly dazed. He hadn't talked, hadn't asked whether she was sure or asked her to stop and Liz had only asked one thing. _More?_ He groaned her name before crushing their lips together again.

"Lizzie?"

"Mhm?" She startled, looking at him.

His smile was gentle, his eyes sparkling. "Where were you just now?"

Liz turned her body towards his, reaching out to run a hand over his cheek. "Thinking about our first kiss."

His nostrils flared at her words and he scooted closer to gather her in his arms, kissing her deeply. "I love you, Elizabeth."

A blush crept over her, just like it always did when he told her about his feelings for her. "I love you more."

He hummed. "So, that's what's been on your mind lately? Our first kiss?" He asked, knowing full well that that wasn't the case.

"No. I was also thinking about how much I want you and that it surely can't be healthy."

"Minx," he said, covering her body with his.

"Dembe! I need your help. Come on, you've known him for ages!"

"I do not know what to tell you, Liz. Raymond is a simple man."

She groaned in frustration. "Tell me about something he desires. Something he wants, needs, anything."

The tall man chuckled. "All these points can be answered with one word."

"Yes?" Her eyes were huge. She was ready to go find whatever it was.

"You," he simply said and her face fell. "Liz, he doesn't need anything or anyone but you."

She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "You're no help at all."

He patted her shoulder, smiling sympathetically.

"Have you upset my girl, Dembe?" Red came into the room with his usual swagger.

"I would not dream of it, Raymond," he told his friend with a smile.

Red grinned back at him and then focused on the woman on the couch. He leaned forward, his hands resting on the headrest of the sofa, on either side of her head, boxing her in. He slowly lowered his lips to hers. "Hi," he said upon pulling away.

"Hi, yourself." She took a hold of his tie and gently pulled on it, making sure he stayed close. "Red, we need to talk."

He grimaced. "Usually these words imply something bad." She just kept looking at him. "Dembe, would you give us a moment?" He waited until they were alone, his eyes never leaving hers.

"You need to let me know what to get for your birthday, Red," she said, sounding desperate.

Red started laughing, a beautiful sound to her ears. He pressed another kiss to her mouth and pulled back to sit next to her. Pulling her in his arms, he buried his nose in her hair. "I already have everything I could ever want. I have you."

"You're just as bad as Dembe," she complained softly. "Red, seriously, tell me. Anything."

"I really don't need a gift, Lizzie. Don't break your beautiful head over this." She groaned, and once again, crossed her arms over her chest. "You're upset. Don't be upset with me, sweetheart." With his nose he gently nudged her temple, before nuzzling the soft skin over her eyebrow.

"I'm not upset with you. I'm upset with myself. I should know what to get you."

"The greatest gift you could make me, is being with me on that day."

"That's a given," she replied immediately.

"Good," he said, kissing her soundly. "Then that's settled. How'd you feel about Italian for dinner? And I mean real Italian food, not the American version."

Liz rolled her eyes, taking his offered hand. "Is that all that's on your mind?"

"Mhm. You and food, not necessarily in that order," he said with a wink and was given an elbow in the ribs in response.

 **LizzingtonLizzingtonLizzington**

She almost had a nervous breakdown at one point, not knowing what to get for him. It was making her crazy and she hated it. But she wanted his first birthday with her at his side to be special. In the end that was what made her decide to do this. Dancing lessons, who would have thought? Not just any dancing lessons either –

"Ms. Keen? You're here for the erotic dance lessons?"

She couldn't help but blush. "Uhm… yes."

"Alright. Hi, I'm Casey. Please follow me."

They went to a private room, where he offered her a chair. "Look… maybe this isn't the right thing for me. I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

"There's no reason to be nervous, Ms. Keen." He gave her a gentle smile. He was good looking. Tall, broad shoulders, sandy hair, and sparkling blue eyes. "May I call you by your first name?"

"Yeah, sure. Liz."

"Liz, great. So, just relax and let us talk through the basics first. If you decide that this isn't your thing, then we don't have to continue, okay?" She gave him a nod. "Is there a particular reason you want to take the lessons?"

"It's my… my boyfriend's birthday." Had she ever called Red that before?

"Oh, he's gonna love it! Have you done anything like this before?"

"No, I haven't."

He gave her a big grin. "Everyone is nervous before their first time. Alright, how about I show you a few moves first, and you just sit on that chair?" When he received a nod, he sprang into action and hit a button on the stereo. Peggy Lee's 'Fever' came blasting through the subwoofer.

Casey started moving his body. He was good at this, his hips swinging to the beat as he slowly stepped closer to her. "Listen to the music, try slow moves. It's like sex. You want it to be seductive, want your partner to enjoy it." He stepped between her legs and turned around. "You want to take his hands and put them on your body at some point. Make him beg for it before though. You want to drive him crazy with need. When he gets to touch you, it's on your terms. If he doesn't behave, he's going back to no touching. Casey continued his performance, slowly stripping himself of his clothes. When he came to his pants, Liz stood, her chair making a screeching noise.

"I'm sorry, I can't. He wouldn't like me being here."

"No worries, Liz. I'm afraid you aren't my type, anyway."

"What?"

"I'm gay. You can relax. I'm more interested in that man of yours than you. Sorry, honey." He smiled at her. "Now, how about you show me what you can do. Then we'll make it just right for your man." He pulled her up and sat down on the chair, motioning for her to show her moves. Still, Liz was somewhat nervous, and not entirely sure if she shouldn't just buy Red a new tie. "What's his name?"

"Raymond," she replied, a soft smile coming to her face.

"How long have you been together?"

"Half a year," she replied.

"That's not too long then."

"We've known each other for a lifetime. We kind of danced around this for a while. A long while." Both of them laughed.

"Alright, Liz, I want you to pretend I'm Raymond. Close your eyes, think about his voice, how he makes you feel, and how he will feel when you're doing this for him."

And she did. At first it had felt weird, especially taking Casey's hands and putting them to her hips. He was patient with her though, didn't try to move his hands over her body, but simply let her take the lead.

Weeks went by, and Liz tried to see Casey as often as possible. They had become good friends by now, and she was comfortable talking about Raymond and trying out new moves. One day, her dancing instructor snatched a photograph of him from her hands, fanning himself at the sight of Red in a tux.

"Oh my goodness, that is your Raymond? Can I dance for him? My god, he is hot!"

"Hey!" Liz exclaimed and took the picture from him. "Hands off! He's mine."

"But he's so yummy, Liz!" Casey whined. "He's so into you though. Damn."

She took another look at the photo. "Why would you say that?"

"The way he looks at you. Like nothing in the world could ever be as important as you are. I want someone to look at me like that." She couldn't take her eyes off Red now, understanding for the first time that she really was the center of his universe. "You love him very much, don't you?"

Liz nodded. "He's the love of my life."

Casey clapped his hands together. "Then we'll train hard to make this the best birthday ever for your guy. How does that sound?" He only received a wide grin in response.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** This is it! I hope you liked it. Thank you for your kind feedback. I wish all of you a Happy New Year. Stay safe!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own anything.

 **Chapter 2**

"Lizzie?" Red called out. They weren't living together so far, but he had a key to her place and would stay with her most of the time. He didn't want to pressure her into moving in together though. He knew that he could be a pain in the ass, and he also knew that after everything with Tom, she was still on guard a lot. He couldn't blame her. "Sweetheart?" They had talked the evening before, as he had business to attend to in Europe, clean business nowadays, but he had promised her that he would make it home to her in time for his birthday, even though he couldn't care less about that day.

He was about to call out for her again, when he noticed a piece of paper sticking to the hallway mirror.

' _Come straight to the bedroom please. xoxo Lizzie_ '. He chuckled. She knew that he wasn't a big fan of those weird abbreviations. She had piqued his curiosity though, so without taking the time to shed himself from his outdoor clothing, he went to the bedroom, feeling a little giddy. He would die a happy man if he could make love to his Lizzie for the rest of his life. He didn't need anything else.

He slowly pushed the door open, but the room seemed empty. "Sweetheart?" He stepped over the threshold and noticed a chair in the middle of the room, the lights were off, but there were candles on the nightstand, the windowsill, and the sideboard. ' _Sit_.' It said on another small post-it. He took the piece of paper off the chair and sat down, excited beyond words. Their lovelife was rather vanilla compared to the things he had tried throughout his life, not that he would ever want to change that. He loved the sweet and gentle way they made love; his heart always burst inside his chest. If she was curious to explore more with him, he'd gladly give it to her, whatever she wanted. She had told him once about the fantasy she'd had when she had first seen him strapped to that chair. Maybe she wanted to act that out.

He groaned at that. Bound to a chair while Lizzie had her way with him… he would probably come in his pants. Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Red straightened, waiting for her to show herself. There she was, his beautiful, _beautiful_ Lizzie. She was wearing a jacket, a _red_ blouse beneath, with _his_ tie around her neck, and a skirt, a very short one. Her legs were clad in stockings and she was actually wearing heals for him, even though she hated them. He would massage her sore calves later on. For now, he couldn't do much but stare at her. Her hair was in a ponytail, some loose blonde strands hanging down the side of her face. She wore make-up, a little more than she usually would, and her lips were bright red; she knew exactly how much he loved the color on her. He briefly wondered what color her underwear was.

Liz snatched up a remote control and he registered the tune immediately. 'You Can Leave Your Hat On'. He groaned again, feeling himself twitching in his pants already. She stepped up to him, right between his legs, making him look up at her. Swaying her hips seductively, she started unbuttoning his coat, shoving it off his shoulders just enough to restrain his arms slightly. He thought he had died and gone to heaven when she snatched his fedora from his head, plopping it onto her own, before stepping back again.

She had apparently worked on this for some time. He knew that she wasn't much of a dancer, but this, _her_ , she was incredible already and he almost couldn't wait for her to continue. Taking off her jacket first, she threw it off to the side, her fingers going for the buttons of the blouse. She only opened it until the top of her breasts were exposed, his tie touching her bare skin now. He had to swallow hard at the lace he could see beneath. As far as he could tell, it was a new one, black with red stripes. God, he loved her. Liz stepped between his legs again, putting her hands on his thighs for leverage as she let herself slide down, brushing against him, not where he needed it the most though. He couldn't help himself as he leaned forward, wanting to, needing to feel her lips against his, but she pushed him back into his chair.

"Lizzie…" he complained softly, but she ignored him as she stepped away, popping another button on her blouse.

She rounded him then, letting her hand trail from his chest, over his shoulder, towards his neck, her fingers gently tracing the round scar, making him close his eyes. With her nose she nuzzled over his short hair, her hot breath fanning over his ear. Then she was in front of him again, slowly opening the rest of the buttons before taking off her blouse. The tie was hanging loosely between her perfect breasts now, and he swallowed hard.

Next was the skirt. She turned so he could see the zipper, teasing him as she pulled it down and up again a couple of times. Her back was to him now and she bent over slightly before dropping the skirt altogether. Red couldn't stop his moan. She was wearing a thong, even though she wasn't a big fan of them. He was so close to snapping. He wanted to jump up and bend her over the closest available piece of furniture, pushing into her, yearning to hear her shouts of pleasure. He was hard as a rock already. It was bordering on being uncomfortable.

Liz sat on his thigh then, one of her legs purposefully brushing him as she leaned in close, their lips almost touching. He could smell her minty breath, the perfume he had gotten her, could see the fluttering of her pulse point beneath her skin. She was slightly nervous, even though she was turned on as well. He had no words to describe the affection he felt for this woman. Taking her bottom lip between her teeth, she released it quickly to let it brush against his. He couldn't help wanting to kiss her. His hands moved on their own, but before they could make contact, she slapped them away.

"Lizzie, please." He didn't know what he was begging for, but he wanted her, so badly.

She lifted one leg and kicked off the high heel, slowly peeling a stocking from her never-ending leg, before resting the sole of her foot on his thigh. Turning, she straddled his other limb, grinding herself against him and closing her eyes in pleasure.

"Fuck," he swore. He was so close to spilling himself inside of his pants.

Way too soon, she stood up again and started taking off his coat, but he wanted more of her, always her, and so he groaned in frustration.

"Shh…" she soothed, pulling the tie from his neck and letting it drop to the floor, before opening the first couple of buttons on his shirt. She leaned in then, placing her nose into the open V of his button down and inhaling his scent. He bucked up, not connecting with anything, which was starting to drive him crazy. Her other stocking was shed in a similar manner and then she started sliding the tie from around her neck, letting it brush over her breasts, her smooth stomach and over the front of her panties. He would never be able to look at this tie the same way again.

Pulling at the hair band, she let her blonde mane fall to her shoulders before turning her back to him once again. She reached for the clasp, undoing it quickly, but only slowly letting the garment slip from her shoulders. At the first glimpse of her bare chest, his mouth started to water. Her breasts were glorious; neither too small nor too big. They fit into his palms perfectly, like they were made for him and him alone. Kneeling between his legs again, she slowly stroked up his thighs and towards his chest, undoing his vest, before tugging at the dress shirt, knowing that it would brush against his privates.

She was so close, so close that if he reached out now, he could just pull her onto his lap, kiss her skin, mark her as his. Her lips were so round, so full, and he couldn't help but imagine sliding his hard cock between them, into her hot and wet mouth, but he wouldn't. He knew that if he did, he would come instantly and he didn't want this to end. He wanted to devour her, feel her tighten around him as she came shouting his name from the top of her lungs.

"You can leave your hat on, Lizzie," he said, aiming for cockiness, but his voice was thick with arousal. As much as he was enjoying this, loving it, he needed her.

She slowly stood, using his thighs for support again, and she could feel his muscles twitching. Her hands left his body, choosing to touch herself instead. One hand trailed up her stomach, until she could cup her breast, squeezing the flesh, while the other went to her mouth, where she slipped a finger between her lips, sucking on the digit. She let the wet finger trail a path down, between her breasts, down to her center, where she touched herself through the lace. Her eyes slid closed as she pleasured herself, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

The song was nearing its end; he couldn't believe it had been mere minutes, when it had felt like hours. This sweet torture was slowly killing him. She finally slipped the thong down her legs and flung it at his chest and he could smell her arousal, which did nothing to lessen the ache between his legs.

"Lizzie, please. _Please_." He couldn't stand it anymore, couldn't keep still. He could barely speak. At the slightest nod from her, Red shot up and took her in his arms, his lips finding hers as he pressed her against the nearest wall. She gasped as the cold hit her back and he used it to his advantage to slip his tongue into her mouth. His hands were roaming, touching every part of her that he could reach; he was a dying of thirst and she was his oasis. Red hoisted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, moaning when she felt him hard against her center, as he carried her to the bed.

His body didn't leave hers as he lowered them to the mattress, knocking the fedora off. Almost ripping his jacket off from where it was barely clinging to his shoulders, he threw it to the floor, his fingers working quickly on the buttons on his dress shirt. Liz opened his belt, going for the button of his pants and then the zipper. She quickly pushed both his pants and boxer shorts down and then took him in her hand.

He was scorching hot and hard as steel, pulsing heavily between her fingers. Red closed his hand around her wrist. "You need to stop," he said in a strangled voice. "I can't. Lizzie, I can't."

Her eyes shone brightly, amazed that she had managed to get him to this point without ever really touching him. "But, Red -"

"I need to be inside of you, Lizzie, please." She just nodded and let him pull her hand from him. She quickly helped him with the rest of his shirt and it wasn't long until he was fully naked.

It felt like his body was on fire. He was burning hot to the touch. He took one of her legs and hooked it over his arm before pushing into her, not stopping once, not even when he was fully seated. He just kept moving his hips, sliding in and out of her in a quick and hard manner, making her moan and twist beneath him.

"Lizzie," he groaned.

She was right there with him; she couldn't remember ever tipping over the edge that quickly, but it was only a matter of seconds now. She hooked her other leg around his hip, meeting his rough thrusts with every single stroke. "Red… Red… oh, God." He pushed her leg a little higher and angled his hips just a bit and suddenly she felt herself break into a million pieces as she shouted out in pleasure, "Raymond!"

Her climax triggered his own release and she could feel his hot fluid coating her walls. "Lizzie!" His hips jerked a few more times and then he stilled, his head buried in her neck. It took long minutes until either of them could move again, and only then did he carefully roll himself off of her. "Lizzie," he whispered, his breathing ragged.

Somehow she managed to curl up against him, holding him close as they tried to slow their erratic heart beats. "Happy Birthday, Raymond."

He hummed softly, tightening his own arms around her; his lips finding hers blindly. "I love you so much," he told her.

They lay together in silence, both utterly sated and content. His fingers were drawing random circles over her skin, as if to apologize for the lack of romancing from his side.

"I did get you a new tie, in case you didn't like my present," she said, and he grunted at the absurdity. Liz chuckled. "I had a feeling that wasn't the problem."

"When did you learn how to do this kind of thing?" He asked.

"I took lessons for the past month, so I wouldn't disappoint."

Red snorted. "As if that could ever be the case. You took lessons, just for me?"

"Of course just for you. I thought it would be something different."

"That it was." He turned onto his side, cuddling her even closer. If she didn't know from first-hand experience, she would never believe Raymond Reddington to be a snuggle bug. "You almost made me come in my pants."

"I did?" She asked, her eyes big.

"Mhm… God, Lizzie… you have no idea how enchanting you are. That was amazing, sweetheart."

She grinned widely at him, but then her face formed an expression of horror. "Oh, no!"

"What?" He asked in a worried tone of voice. "What's wrong?"

"Now I need to start thinking about what to get you next year!" She looked almost devastated as she hid her face in his neck, groaning at the prospect of finding something he would like even better, but Red just laughed, not able to stop himself, as he pulled the blankets over both of them, pressing a kiss to her head.


End file.
